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A genus of herbaceous plants, some of them having berries which abound in intensely red juice; poke, or pokeweed.

Pertaining to, or designating, a strong organic acid (called picric acid), intensely bitter.

ch the part through which the discharge takes place is a capillary tube, thus producing intense incandescence of the contained gases.

More than perfect; past perfect; -- said of the tense which denotes that an action or event was completed at or before the time of another past action or event. -- n.

of power; capable of producing great effects of any kind; potent; mighty; efficacious; intense; as, a powerful man or beast; a powerful engine; a powerful argument; a powerful light; a powerful vessel. The powerful grace that lies In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities. Shak.

Prairie chicken, above. -- Prairie itch (Med.), an affection of the skin attended with intense itching, which is observed in the Northern and Western United States; -- also called swamp itch, winter itch. -- Prairie marmot. (Zoöl.) Same as Prairie dog, above. -- Prairie mole (Zoöl.), a large American mole (Scalops a…

y attentive; propitious. [Archaic] To find a god so present to my prayer. Dryden. Present tense (Gram.), the tense or form of a verb which expresses action or being in the present time; as, I am writing, I write, or I do write.

sure, pressure like that exerted by a fluid. It is a thrust which is normal and equally intense in all directions around a point. Rankine. -- Pressure gauge, a gauge for indicating fluid pressure; a manometer.

See Pretense, Pretenseful, Pretenseless.

The act of pretending; pretense. [Obs.] Daniel.

Old name of the tense also called imperfect.

Past; -- applied to a tense which expresses an action or state as past.

Used only or chiefly in the preterit or past tenses, as certain verbs.

Old name of the tense also called preterit.

Old name of the tense also called pluperfect.

eason or motive assigned or assumed as a color or cover for the real reason or motive; pretense; disguise. They suck the blood of those they depend on, under a pretext of service and kindness. L'Estrange. With how much or how little pretext of reason. Dr. H. More.

- Prickly heat (Med.), a noncontagious cutaneous eruption of red pimples, attended with intense itching and tingling of the parts affected. It is due to inflammation of the sweat glands, and is often brought on by overheating the skin in hot weather. -- Prickly pear (Bot.), a name given to several plants of the cactac…

cting one's actions; as, a person of no principle. All kinds of dishonesty destroy our pretenses to an honest principle of mind. Law.

A papular disease of the skin, of which intense itching is the chief symptom, the eruption scarcely differing from the healthy cuticle in color.

or magazine. For love of you, not hate unto my friend, Hath made me publisher of this pretense. Shak.